What's Meant To Be
by S.Cuppcake
Summary: Slightly AU: After the death of her sister, Makenna Harrison goes to Charming and discovers she'd been left joint custody of her small children with outlaw biker Opie Winston the bother in law of her sister. What Makenna doesn't know is that she needs him more than she realized when trouble from her past shows up. Opie/OC Rated M for the usual reasons.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** **I own nothing of the Sons of Anarchy's storylines or characters seen on the FX television show. Those all belong Kurt Sutter and FX. The original characters: Garrett and Natalie Winston and Makenna "Mak" Harrison. **

**Plot Summary: This story is slightly alternate universe in the sense that Opie and Donna were never married, and because of that they never had children. Instead Opie has a younger brother Garrett, who never patched SAMCRO instead acts as a friend to the club and because of that was arrested five years prior to season 1 along with Opie. Makenna Harrison is the sister of Garrett's wife Natalie has her own set of trouble. She's been in an abusive relationship for years and when she gets word about her family's murder she uses it to finally take her leave. When she gets to Charming she finds out that she and Opie were granted joint custody of Alex and Sophia the children of Garrett and Natalie. **

**Author's Note: Alright so after much debate and reading over this story a million and two times I've decided to do a rewrite on it. There were things that I had originally thought worked and at the time of I wrote them they did but as a big picture I'm not loving it. I've been out of the writing of fanfic for about a year and a half roughly and so this being my attempt to re-enter has failed. It's actually bothered me for days and I've felt like I needed to do a rewrite. The basis of the story is the same with a few tweaks. I ended up changing the OC's name because anytime I had to write Opie and Olivia it kinda made me cringe it was a little too cutesy for my taste. Anyway hope you all enjoy the rewrite remember reviews are like crack to any writer and are much appreciated and enjoyed even the not so nice ones. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Opie Winston was laying on the slab of rock the State of California Judicial system called a bed. During the days it was easy to forget about how things were on the outside. At night there was nothing to do but think. If someone were to tell him about the loneliness that crept inside of you during those times he never would have believed them. He knew that it was worse for his baby brother Garrett, he had a wife he loved a year old little boy and another baby who could be born any minute. They had five long years stretching in front of them, three if they behaved themselves if they behaved themselves. It was something that could be easier for Garrett, his brother didn't have the stigma of being a member of the Sons of Anarchy. When you were a member of SAMCRO things like "good behavior" didn't really exist. The only thing Opie had waiting on him on the outside was his club and his porn star girlfriend Lyla. Trouble with porn stars were you didn't always know where their loyalties lie. He cared a lot about her. Was he in love with her, he wasn't sure. He'd never made the move to make things official between them and tag her as his Old Lady. While some of his MC Brothers had been through a few old ladies he was old fashion in the sense that he wanted one and only one. Maybe if she stuck around along enough he'd consider it. "Hey Ope….you still awake?" his brother's voice sounded lowly in the dark.

At first Opie thought about not answering, he blamed himself for their being inside. After all if Garrett hadn't been helping him the fateful night they'd been arrested he wouldn't be inside now. Because of that he wasn't sure what to say to him in fact for the last month that they'd been in jail he did his best to avoid him. Trouble was at night…he couldn't. After a few minutes he sighed, "Yeah, I'm awake."

"You know since all of this went down we haven't really…talked." Garrett said.

"Just wasn't sure what to say." Opie said after a few minutes.

"It's not your fault you know….all this shit." Garrett said.

"That's debatable." He snorted, "If you weren't helping me that night…if you were at home where you should have been with your wife and kid you wouldn't be here."

"You have really got to stop blaming yourself for it. I volunteered to help you remember?" he asked but didn't wait for his brother to respond. "Besides that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Nat had the baby…a little girl."

Opie could hear the smile in his brother's voice. Even in all the shit they were in here in what could only be described as hell on earth his brother had a reason to be he was really honest with himself he was happy as well. "Congrats man…Natalie's doing okay right?"

"Yeah…yeah she's good the baby too, named her Sophia Grace." He said. "Nat wanted to bring her by next family day but I told her no…got Jax after her too. I think she got the point. I don't want my kids here, I don't want them to see me like this. Pictures are enough for now."

Opie didn't believe that for a second but didn't call him out on it. They all had their brave fronts that they had to put up. Especially being in a place like this. "I know what you mean, you did the right thing." he knew that Garrett was too young to remember the time their father, Piney, had been doing time and Mary brought them to see him. He had been barely more than five and Garrett was around two or so. Nothing terrified him more than being there. There was something about the atmosphere and seeing his father there in his prison blues. He knew that he never wanted to go to prison even as a small child. As an adult he learned that sometimes things happened that were out of your control. Of course one could argue that blowing up a warehouse was something in his control but the circumstances had been complicated.

"Being in here…it makes you think…a lot." He said. "I didn't patch the club because I wanted to have a life where I didn't have to live in fear of going to jail. Here I am, sometimes I wonder if I should have just patched. Our lives are screwed up, Pop being who he is things will never been simple. Maybe marrying Nat having the kids was my mistake. Maybe we aren't meant to have normal lives."

"If you think that way you're a fucking idiot." Opie said clearly getting pissed at his baby brother. "Hell Nat and the kids are probably the best damn thing you got going."

The darkness was quiet for a few almost uncomfortable moments then Garrett said. "You're probably right. I just can't help wonder though…you know if things went south-"

"Do you need me to kick your ass?" Opie cut him off.

"Just shut your fucking mouth for a minute and hear me out." Garret snapped.

"Fine." Opie huffed.

"Our lives are fucked up. And yeah I probably never should have married Natalie but I'm a selfish bastard. I just need to know that if something happened-"

"Nothing is going to happen." Opie cut him off.

"If something happened…you'll take care of them right?" Garrett asked.

Opie felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. That was the last thing he'd ever expected his brother to say to him. Sure trouble followed them because they were Piney Winston's sons. The fact that Opie had followed in his father's footsteps and Garrett had decided to live a legit life for the most part didn't mean that their lives didn't come with complications. One thing they'd learned from their father was that you never talked about your mortality. You didn't think about dying, it was an inevitable part of life but you made sure no matter what that you lived life with no regrets. "You sound like a little bitch." He brushed his brother off.

"Just yes or no Ope….I gotta know." He said.

"I don't know why this is so fucking important to you right now."

"I just need to know….can I count on you?" he asked again.

Opie rolled to his side in an almost defensive move. "Yeah fine whatever." He said his brow furrowing.

"Thank you." Garrett said, the tone of his voice was almost that of relief.

* * *

><p>~Three Years Later~<p>

Opie Winston was leaning against the porch rail of his best friend, Jax Teller's house. He had a cigarette between his fingers and his head was full of thoughts. It seemed like from the time that he and his brother had gotten out of Stockton nothing seemed to be going right. There was shit with the Mayans, shit with the Nords, shit with the Irish, shit with the One-Niners, shit with ATF….all and all it chalked up to a whole lot of shit. He couldn't put his finger on it but something didn't feel right. Even being here at this party that celebrated the health of Jax's infant son Abel…Opie couldn't get past the detached feeling that had been in his gut since he and Garrett got out three months earlier. Not long after he got out his relationship with Lyla had gone to shit, not that it had been perfect to begin with. He wanted to settle down and she wasn't ready to give up her career. He wasn't the kind of guy who could be serious about a woman who took her clothes off for a living. He tried but it was something he wasn't able to get past. As a result he threw himself full force into the club and he was slowly starting to get back to the place he'd been before his incarceration. Garrett on the other had seemed to be struggling. Things between him and Natalie were less than ideal. While he had always earned his living straight, he'd always picked up extra work for the Sons when they needed odd jobs done that wouldn't fall back on the club Garrett had been there man. Since getting out of jail if he went near anything that resembled a reaper he had hell to pay with Nat. Because of that they were behind on bills and they couldn't seem to get ahead. The things that they did to provide for their families wasn't exactly honest but it was bred into them. What's more they wouldn't allow Opie to help them out either. He was jerked from his thoughts when the door opened and Garrett and Natalie walked out. "Leaving early?" he asked.

Garrett nodded, "Natalie has a shift at the diner, I'll be back in a few to pick up Sophia and Alex."

"Gemma said it wasn't a problem to leave them. They're having fun I didn't want to pull them away so soon." Natalie explained.

Opie nodded, "I'll look in at them."

"See you later Ope." Natalie said.

"Careful." Opie replied.

"You sound like a woman." Garrett teased as he helped his wife into the car.

Opie gave his brother the finger causing the younger man to laugh as he climbed into the car and drove away. He decided he needed another smoke before heading back into the party. He put the cigarette between his lips and was lifting his gold zippo lighter to his lips when he heard the echoing pop…pop…pop of an automatic rifle. His lighter dropped to the floor with an echoing thud and he pulled the cigarette from his lips and ran towards the sound.

* * *

><p>The next few hours came to Opie in flashes of consciousness, he remembered the gun shots and sound of his SAMCRO brother's boots hitting the blacktop behind him as they ran in the direction is baby brother had left in. He remembered the overwhelming hurt that filled him when he saw the busted out window of the cab of Garrett's pickup truck and the rage he felt when he saw the cab painted red with the blood of not only his brother but his sister in law. Once the bodies were taken away everything else was like a blur. To be honest he wasn't even sure, exactly how he'd come to be at the clubhouse, still holding the unlit cigarette. "You with us brother?" Jax asked nudging Opie a little.<p>

"Yeah…sorry." He said trying to snap out of the shock.

Tig who was sitting across from him noticed the cigarette in his hand. "You need a light for that?"

He shook his head, "No I'm okay…I dropped my lighter….I don't remember where."

"You sure you're okay bro?" Jax asked.

He nodded, "Yeah…just go on."

"Piney and Mary are making the funeral arrangements for Garrett nobody was sure what to do for Natalie. Her family-" Clay said.

"She has a sister who lives in Biloxi that's it. They were in foster care when they were kids, their parents were pieces of shit, they were never around." Opie said. "I'll call her, get her on a plane."

"Club will handle the expenses." Jax said.

"Thank you." Opie said as he raked his hand through his thick hair. "Do we know who did this?"

"Unser said there were witnesses at the scene. Black ghetto SUV lots of chrome it was gangsta for sure." Juice said. "Nobody saw any faces."

Opie nodded as he turned the cigarette over in his hand tapping the end of it on the redwood table. "Bangers killed my brother and his wife." He nodded his voice thick with anger.

"We'll talk retaliation later." Clay said, "First we have to bury a brother and his wife." He banged the gavel ending the session.

* * *

><p>Makenna Harrison was just finishing up her dishes when they phone rang. She frowned as she looked at the clock on her wall, it was late nearly one in the morning. The only person who ever called her that late was Natalie. Even though her older sister had been living in California for the last decade she still didn't comprehend the time zone thing. It was one of the enduring qualities that Olivia loved about her. Knowing that the sound would irritate Brian, her boyfriend, she walked over to the phone not bothering to look at the caller ID and answered it before the second ring. "I swear I'm gonna get you one of those watches that has two faces for multiple time zones." She said.<p>

There was a long pause before a male voice came over the line. "Is this Makenna Harrison?"

A cold chill ran up her spine, "Y-yeah." She stammered a little. A phone call this late from someone other than her sister only meant one thing, something was wrong. "Can I help you?"

"Hey…um this Opie Winston. I'm Garrett's older brother." He said the tone of his voice was one of relief at reaching her. "We met a few years back when you came out to Charming."

Makenna remembered who Opie was, he was a bear of a man made up of tattoos, muscles, and hair. "Yeah I remember you." She said. "Is everything alright?"

"No um…there was an….accident." he said but the way he said 'accident' she knew that there was more to it than just that. "Natalie and Garrett were killed."

Makenna felt like something stabbed her in the stomach and was spreading cold through her body. Her grip on the phone went slack and she didn't even realize it had slipped from her fingers until she heard the loud crack against the tiled floor snapping her out of it. She scrambled to pick it up after she sank to the floor. "Sorry….I'm sorry." She said as tears burned her big blue eyes.

"Are you still with me?" he asked.

"I'm…I'm here." She said wiping tears on the back of her hand.

"Good, I won't take up much of your time I just…..the club is flying you in for the funeral." He said. "Natalie had said that you were the only family she had."

"It was always just us." She said her voice cracking.

"For what it's worth….you got us now." Opie said.

"Thanks…." She said. "For what it's worth."

After making the arrangements with Opie she hung up the phone. She refused to break down, she knew that if she let herself cry she'd never stop. She had too much to do to get ready to go to Charming.

"Who was on the phone?" Brian who was standing at kitchen door his arms crossed over his chest asked.

"It was Natalie's brother in law." She said her voice shaking as she slipped the piece of paper with the information she needed into her cardigan pocket before he could see it.

"One of those biker fags?" he asked as he walked over to the fridge and pulled a beer out and took a drink. "The fuck business did he have calling here?"

"There was an accident." She said her voice quivering a little. "I have to go to-"

Before she had a chance to block it Brian backhanded her hard. "You're not going anywhere! You belong here!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The next morning Makenna climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. She frowned as she checked the damage done to her face in the mirror. It wasn't the first time Brian had used his fists to get his point across. The first time was when after the Christmas party the construction company he worked for had every year. They had only been together a little over a year and he was the first guy that she really could imagine having a future with. He was sweet and charming he had good standing in their small community. For the first time, Makenna could actually see future with someone. She couldn't even remember what she'd done to make him angry. What she did remember was him turning on her and slapping her across her face. She remembered being in absolute shock about the whole situation. Her life hadn't always been perfect she and her sister had spent their childhoods in and out of foster care and while some of those places had been less than ideal nobody had ever hit her before. While it wasn't something you ever became used to, in a lot of ways she'd come to expect it. After showering and dressing, covering most of the damage to the busted lip and bruise on her jaw with makeup, Brian never liked to see the evidence of his anger, she headed downstairs to the kitchen to start breakfast. It was the same song and dance that they'd been doing for the last 8 years.

"Smells good." Brian said as he came up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.

Makenna tried to not to flinch away from him and choked down the revolted feeling she felt when he kissed her. "Bacon, eggs, grits, and toast." She said pulling back so she could make his plate.

Brian frowned as he went over to the table to sit down, "You still seem a little put out. You're still not pouting over last night are you?" he asked. Though the tone of his voice said it was an open discussion the look in his eyes made it clear that the subject was closed.

Makenna shook her head, "No, it's fine, with the economy the way it is….flying out to California it's just not in the cards." She said giving him the automated answer that he expected to hear. She never finished telling him the night before that her sister hadn't just been in an accident, that she'd been killed. She knew that it wouldn't change his mind on the subject. Brian had this weird possessiveness when it came to her. It was almost as if he felt like he owned her and that scared her a lot.

"Maybe in the spring, work is better then." He said.

Of course, Makenna knew the truth the spring hadn't came in the last six years. Spring wasn't going to come anytime soon as far as Brian McGregor was concerned. "Sounds good." She said sitting his plate in front of him before sitting across from him with her own breakfast.

"I gotta work a double today but I'll be back for lunch like always," he said as he used his fork like a shovel to cram food into his mouth. He ate like a wounded animal who was afraid they would never eat again and that someone would jerk the food from him at any second. "I noticed some spots on the floor in the hallway and in the dining room. I know you ain't been scrubbing them like you should. You know how I like it done, boiling water with bleach on your hands and knees. Mops just smear the shit and make a bigger mess they're filthy. I'll know if you don't do it right and there will be hell to pay you got it?" he asked his eyes burrowing into her.

Makenna nodded, "Is there anything else that you want done?"

"Better check that smartass mouth or I'll pop you in it again." He said.

Makenna frowned, "I wasn't-" but she was cut off by the rusted out old Ford that barreled up the drive way blowing the horn the whole time.

"Better be done when I get home." Brian warned her again as he unplugged the phone in the kitchen. He tucked it into his bag before going out the front door locking it from the outside. It had been his habit since the last time she went to Charming almost six years ago about two years after her sister and Garrett had gotten married. Before then he'd never had a problem with her coming and going, maybe it was that he was afraid that she would tell Natalie's MC relations about what he'd done to her. While so he wasn't always locked in the house, he was smart and knew that it would look odd of Makenna wasn't ever seen in town. Once a week he'd let her out to go take care of the shopping an pay some bills but he knew exactly where she was at all times and if she failed to check in a slap across the face was the least of her worries.

After he'd walked out, Makenna looked up at the clock on the kitchen wall drumming her fingertips against the Formica table top for a few seconds. Slowly she stood up and neatly pushing the chair under the table. She neatly squared away all of the dishes that were used that morning making sure they were all washed in near scalding water before drying her hands. She looked up at the clock to see that it read 9:15, it was then that she went upstairs and into the guest bedroom-not that they had ever had any guests to stay the night in it-and opened the closet door. She stood up on a stool and pushed one of the ceiling tiles. It took her a few seconds of feeling around but she founded it, the strap to a back pack and jerked hard causing it to fall through the open space. She wasn't exactly sure how she managed to keep it a secret from Brian so long. That for over three years she'd been working on her exit strategy. It had taken so long because she wasn't able to take large amounts of money without Brian noticing. Now she was sure that she had enough to get out of town, the fact that SAMCRO was covering her trip to Charming tipped the scales in her favor.

She worked quickly feeling the backpack with the basic necessities. She wanted to be able to move fast just in case he got wind of what she was doing. She kept things simple, a dress for the funeral, a couple of pairs of jeans, few more tops, and underwear anything else she could pick up on the road. Once she was done she pulled the prepaid wireless phone from one of the backpack pockets and turned it on she dialed a number for a contact she had outside of Biloxi to meet her at the nature park on the outside of town in twenty minutes. Once she was done she tucked it away and pulled opened the bathroom window upstairs. While all the windows on the first floor were nailed and painted shut, and the doors all locked from the outside, she'd learned that the windows upstairs were not. She wasn't sure how he managed to overlook this small detail. Maybe he assumed that he had her so isolated that she would never be able to escape him. He was sorely mistaken and he had highly underestimated who she was. She stepped out onto the roof of the porch and walked around to the far side of it, there was lattice that attached to the backside of the porch. It had been a long time, probably since high school since she snuck out of a house like this but it was like riding a bike you never forgot how. As soon as her feet tucked into the delicate wood she knew she would have to be careful. The last thing she wanted was to pull a Pollyanna and end up with a broken back. As soon as he feet hit the ground she took off running towards the woods and didn't look back. She had a small window of time to get out of town and there was no room for mistakes.

* * *

><p>Gemma drummed her acrylic nails against the cardboard sign she held that bore the name 'Makenna Harrison'. Normally chafer duty was negated to prospects but this was a different situation. Makenna was a friend by association of the club. More than that while she and Natalie had butted heads about a lot of things, especially the last couple of years she had genuine affection for the younger woman. Piney's boys had grown up her Jax and when Mary, their mother, had taken off she'd looked out for them. She thought of them as her own kids and the fact that one of them was dead…it broke her heart more than words could say. Meeting Makenna at the airport gave her a chance to get a feel for her. She'd met her a few times when Garrett and Natalie had first got together but then she stopped coming around. Natalie had a few ideas as to what the reasons where but because Makenna would never confirm them she would let Gemma take it to the club. More than any of those reasons, Opie wasn't in the right frame of mine to handle this kind of task. While he might be putting on a solid front for the club, Gemma knew better, this was eating him up inside. Besides some things needed a woman's touch and this was one of them. Just when she was about to give up and call it a day she spotted Makenna. The girl had change a lot over the years her hair that had once been cut in choppy shoulder length layers with pink and blue streaks was now it's natural platinum blond and hung near to her waist in long beach waves. She'd given up her lip ring and septum piercing both of which was for the better. The whole punk rock movement had never suited Makenna. "You're not Opie." She said as she approached Gemma.<p>

Gemma smirked, "No he'd look funny wearing these jeans."

Makenna couldn't help but laugh, "If he's anything like I remember I would agree." Seeing Gemma there was almost a relief. She wasn't sure if it was because she wasn't ready to see Opie yet. There was something that she'd always found comforting about the older woman and even after being away for so many years she still felt at ease with her.

"I volunteered for this gig. Figured you would want to get cleaned up before you had to deal with all the boy drama. Might want to put some ice on that cut too." When Makenna started to give her an excuse about what happened she stopped her. "Don't insult my intelligence sweetheart. I've seen it all."

"I imagine you have." Makenna said.

"Come on, let's go get your bags." She said putting her hand on Makenna's shoulder.

"Um…this is it." Makenna said gesturing to the back pack.

Gemma blinked, "You only brought a back pack?" she asked slowly.

"Yeah." Makenna answered.

She shook her head, "Oh hell no that will never do."

"It's fine really, you'd be surprised what I can fit into a back pack." Makenna shrugged.

"Yeah we'll figure something out." Gemma said leading her out of the terminal.

* * *

><p>Opie was sitting on one of the couches at the clubhouse in one hand he had a bottle of beer the other was a cigarette. Since the…incident…he'd been a mess what made matters worse was that the feelers that Clay had been putting out about who would have done this had lead nowhere. He wanted to bury his brother and sister in law and he wanted to find out who done this to them. Never before had retaliation felt so justified or so sweet. Killing was never something he looked forward to but it went hand and hand with the life. He'd been twenty when he earned his Men of Mayhem patch for sheading blood for his club. It was never easy but this time it would be different. "You keep staring at that chair like that it's going to burst into flames." Jax said as he dropped down into the chair Opie was eyeballing.<p>

"If I could shoot fire from my eyes it would make my job a hell of a lot easier." Opie smirked as he put his cigarette out. "Juice find anything new out?"

"No, but we got a call from Bobby's attorney." Jax said. Bobby Munson was the SAMCRO Secretary and had been in jail for the past few days because he'd been fingered for taking out a hit on Brenan Hefner. They still weren't sure exactly what had happened, it was supposed to be a clean hit but someone had saw Bobby and now he was looking at serious jail time.

"What's the word?" Opie asked straightening in his seat.

"The information on the witness will be released tonight." Jax said.

Opie nodded, "Who's taking the hit?"

"Clay called in Happy, he felt like it needed to be someone from an outside charter. Besides you know one of those smiley face tats has to be for someone in Wit-Pro." Jax said.

"Clay wants the job done good and right." Opie said.

"I think he wants to use our resources here focused on stuff closer to home."

"I agree." Opie took a drink of his beer.

"When is Makenna supposed to be in?" he asked.

"Her flight landed at 5, Gemma offered to pick her up. Something about girl time?"

"Which means Gemma wants to grill her before they get back here." Jax laughed. "Shit doesn't change with her."

"She still giving Tara hell?" Opie asked, referring to Jax's old lady.

"I'd be more worried if she stopped." Jax admitted.

* * *

><p>Once they were in Charming Gemma took Makenna straight to her house so she could get cleaned up and a hot meal before heading over to the clubhouse so she could meet Opie. It was an act of kindness that Makenna had been grateful for. While she wasn't in Charming looking to become someone's old lady, she knew the kind of girls who hung around the clubhouse. Last thing she wanted to do was go in there looking like a hot mess. She traded her travel worn clothes for a pair of faded cut off shorts and a thread bare peasant top that hung loosely on her slight frame and a pair of chocolate riding boots. As she was finishing up drying her hair Gemma knocked on the bathroom door. She didn't wait for an answer before walking in. "Thought you might need help covering that bruise up." She said.<p>

Makenna nodded, "Um..sure." she didn't want to tell the older woman that she'd actually gotten pretty good at disguising cuts and bruises. The last thing she wanted was a ton of questions that she either wasn't ready to answer or refused to answer.

Gemma pulled a basket from under the bathroom sink and started to rummage through it, "You know the best way to keep from having to do this is to not get hit."

She nodded, "Sometimes that's easier said than done."

"I get that." Gemma said, "I've had my fair share of bruised jaws and busted lips too. When I was younger I spent a lot of time fighting with sweetbutts and croweaters."

Makenna couldn't help but laugh, "Do I even want to know?"

"Don't worry sweetheart you stick around Charming long enough you'll learn all about them." Gemma said. "They're little tarts that hang around the MC, their goal in life is to have a Son on top of them. Most of them learn real quick who they can and can't mess with others well they have to learn the hard way."

"I thought you said you were married to the MC's president." Makenna said confused.

"I forgot how naïve outsiders can be. Your innocence on this life is refreshing. You're a lot like your sister. I get the feeling you have more of a back bone than she did though." Gemma said the tone of her voice was filled with a mixture of amusement and affection. "I'm married to Clay but things are different for us. We live by different rules, the guys go on a run they can cheat. What happens on a run stays on a run."

"That's bullshit." Makenna said.

"That's okay he goes to prison and I'm free to hook up with Rico the Cabana Boy." Gemma shrugged as she started to dab foundation onto her bruise.

"I'm just here to meet my niece and nephew and bury my sister." Makenna said. "I'm not looking to find a man or become an old lady."

"Sweetheart you don't look for this life it finds you." She gave Makenna a knowing look as she finished her make up. "It's not perfect but it's Smokey at the clubhouse doubt anyone would notice.

"Thanks, Gemma." She said as she checked the make up in the mirror.

* * *

><p>Makenna couldn't explain the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach when Gemma pulled her Cadillac into the TM and SAMCRO clubhouse parking lot. She'd heard a lot from her sister about the MC lifestyle. Even though Garrett wasn't a member and even though Natalie never would admit it they were part of that life even if they didn't want to admit it. Still seeing it was completely different then knowing about it. Seeing the clubhouse and the long roll of shiny black Harleys parked in front made it real. The times that she'd visited before they'd stayed away from SAMCRO the only time she'd really been around any of the club members besides Opie and Piney had been at Garrett and Natalie's wedding. Then many of them had been in attendance they were there to pay respects to Piney who was one of the founding members of the club. She had a feeling by the number of bikes parked out front that a similar situation was going on. Seeing it made it real, it no longer existed solely in her imagination. It wasn't something that some TV exec created for entertainment value. This was real, tangible and right in front of her. "They only bite if you ask them to." Gemma assured her and laughed when she saw the panic looked on the younger woman's face.<p>

"There's no comfort in that." Makenna said looking over at the older woman.

"It wasn't meant to be." Gemma said as she parked the car. "These guys are probably some of the best you will ever meet. You don't have to be afraid of them, they work hard and they're loyal to a fault."

"But?" Makenna asked as she undone her seatbelt.

Gemma paused trying to think of how to explain SAMCRO without giving away too much or scaring Makenna off. As a rule they didn't trust outsiders but she wasn't exactly an outsider, she was extended Sons of Anarchy family even if she didn't know that's what she was. Since her actual family had been killed possibly over something related to the club no matter how big or small it was it was their job to fill that void. "Well…" She drew out, "I guess you could say that their moral compass doesn't necessarily always point North."

Makenna's brow furrowed, she knew that there was hidden meaning to what Gemma was telling her. She knew that if she were to ask out right what she meant that she would clam up. It was a game in a lot of ways and it was up to her to figure out what that meaning was. "I don't know if I follow you." She said.

"It's something you'll have to learn on your own, darlin'." Gemma said. "You'll understand once you meet them." Makenna nodded as she undone her seatbelt and climbed out of the car.

* * *

><p>Opie and the rest of the guys were coming out of the chapel when Gemma came in with a younger woman he recognized Makenna right away but he still let his eyes trail over her taking her in. So much about her had changed and yet she looked exactly the same. In the ten years that he'd known her she'd done a lot of growing up and the fact that she'd outgrown her punk phase was only wen in her favor. The bohemian style that she adopted suited her much more than the raccoon eyeliner and safety pins. As he approached them he noticed the discoloration hidden on her jaw. When he thought of someone hurting him a fierce rage ripped through him and he couldn't even begin to fathom why. He decided to write it off as the fact that she had nobody else to look after her, he was responsible for her now. "So you made it okay." He said taking long strides over to her while the rest of his brothers went to the bar for drinks giving him some space.<p>

"Slept most of the flight." Makenna admitted as she took him in. He was still the giant of a man, most of his facial features were hidden by his thick brown beard and his hair as hidden by a worn black beanie. He was everything that you would expect a biker to be, from the shit kicker boots to the long chain on his wallet and his leather cut that bore his club patch. Even though all of these things should have given him an unapproachable and almost scary look the warmth in his eyes softened him.

Opie nodded, "We should go and talk." He was dreading this, he hadn't told her what happened over the phone the night before because there were some things that were better off being told face to face. Besides he hadn't wanted her to be all alone when she heard the details of what had happen to her sister.

Makenna looked over her shoulder at Gemma who nodded as if to say she had permission to go with him. "Alright."

Opie pressed his hand to the small of her back and lead her to the residential portion of the clubhouse to where his dorm room was. The clubhouse served as home for a lot of the members who weren't married or had Old Ladies, it also offered a place to sleep for when they had visiting charters with them, or if they just needed a quick place to hook up. After he and Lyla had split up he'd let her have the house and he'd put most of his things in storage and moved into the dorm. He didn't need all that much space anyway and he spent most of his time at the club anyway. He decided that it was the smartest place to take her to explain what had actually happened. He knew the news that the accident had really been murder would hit her hard. Telling her in the barroom around the guys would be cruel and it didn't feel right to do it in the chapel either. This wasn't club business it was personal it needed to be explained in a personal place.

"Sorry, it's kind of a mess." He said when he led her inside. He'd never really been one to pick up after him. He wasn't a complete slob but there were discarded worn clothes tossed in the corner and the bed was unmade. Since Garrett and Natalie were killed he'd been staying with Mary, his mother, at their house with the kids. They were young enough that they didn't really understand what was going on, why they couldn't see mommy and daddy anymore. They felt that moving them away from the house they'd always known would have made the experience even more traumatizing.

"This is where you live too?" Makenna asked sitting on the edge of the bed. She wasn't exactly sure why she asked while the logical part of her brain said it was because she was being polite the rest of her knew the truth. For some reason that she still didn't understand she was curious about him and his life. How this whole MC world actually operated.

Opie nodded as he walked over to the mini fridge. "It's not much but it does the job." He said pulling them both beers out and opening them. "I've been staying at Garrett and Natalie's with the kids since this went down." He held one of the beers out to her.

She started to refuse-she'd never really been a drinker-but changed her mind. She didn't taking a drink but she held the cold bottle in her hands. "How are they?"

He set down in the chair across from her. "Sophia doesn't really get it, she's too young but Alex…I'm honestly worried about him. Sometimes he's fine and other times he doesn't speak he doesn't eat he just sits in his room. I think forgets at times. I'll take you to see them later."

She nodded her head, "I'd like that."

"Gemma give you shit?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No, was she supposed to?"

"It's just her normal disposition." He said with a shrug.

"She was fine."

"She can be intense sometimes is all."

"I don't think you brought me back here to talk about Gemma." Makenna looked down at the beer in her hand swirled the foamy contents.

Opie nodded and sighed, "No you're right I didn't." he took a long pull of his beer. He knew that they were going to have to talk about this sooner or later. Part of him hoped that they would just end up shooting the shit for the rest of the night. He liked it, talking to her, she was easy going and wasn't throwing herself at his dick like any other female he brought into his room. He didn't kid himself he wasn't pretty like Jax or even Juice but he'd had his fair amount of pussy. Talking to a woman without her wanting something around the MC clubhouse was rare. Even when he was with Lyla deep down he knew that she wasn't necessarily with him because of who he was. It was more about what he was, rather than who he was. None of those piece of shit prick producers had the balls to mess with her when they had been together.

Makenna took a deep breath, there was a question that had been burning deep inside of her since they had talked on the phone. She wasn't sure if she was ready to ask the question or if, for that matter she wanted to know the answer. Still she needed to know, "It wasn't an accident was it?" she asked.

Opie ran his hand over his face as he tried to find the right words. "How much did Natalie tell you about the club?"

Makenna shrugged, "Nothing really but then again I never asked." She wasn't sure what the club and her brother in law had in common after all Garrett wasn't a member. Of course that didn't stop him from having to go to prison because of them she reasoned.

He nodded his head, he didn't want to give her too much information but he wanted her to understand why it happened even though they weren't exactly sure either. "We think that it was a hit."

"What do you mean?" she asked with a frown.

"Someone pulled up behind their truck at red-light and open fired on them. Emptied a clip from an AK in the back of their heads." He said. He knew that it wasn't the most delicate way to explain it to her but for some reason he wanted her to understand the revolting thing that had happened to their family.

Makenna's eyes widened as she processed what he told her. "The children-"

"They were at Jax's we were having a homecoming party for Jax's son Abel. He was-"

"Natalie told me about Abel." She said as she took a long drink from the beer. While she wasn't a drinker hearing about all this…she needed something even if it was just beer to help numb her.

"They were safe." He said again.

She nodded, "Is there…do you know why? Garrett wasn't even part of SAMCRO."

He shook his head, "We're looking into it. Right now our concern is getting through this funeral. I promise retaliation will come after."

"Retaliation?" she asked.

Opie nodded, "We can't allow something like this to go unchecked."

Makenna finished the beer and set the bottle down on the table. "Do you mind?" she asked nodding to the fridge.

He shook his head as he watched her, "Help yourself."

She walked over to it and pulled the door opened and grabbed another beer from the fridge and opened it. "So I get the feeling you all aren't about charity rides and community service like Natalie said."

"No we do all that stuff too." He said. "We just have other business ventures."

She took a drink of the beer. "And they got my family killed."

"Things like this….they don't happen to SAMCRO and go unchecked." He said. "It's the first time this happened to someone who wasn't a member and worse, to his old lady. If it would have been a member retaliation would happen no matter. Because my brother was a friend to the club and his wife was killed too retaliation will be swift hard and painful."

Makenna looked down at the bottle in her hand as she attempted to process everything that Opie was telling her. This news should have shocked her and sent her running for the hills but there was something oddly comforting about it as well. It also made her understand the reservations that Natalie had about the club. Before she couldn't understand it but now, it made sense. "Just…make them pay." She said looking up at him.

Her words surprised him, to be honest he expected her to stand up, walk out of the room and keep going. There was something to say about Makenna that she didn't back down when he told her that the planned to painfully kill who had killed Natalie and Garrett. It touched something deep inside of him and knew that this relation had to happen because he couldn't let her down either. Opie nodded, "I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Just want to thank everyone who's reading, subscribing, adding this story to their favorite's list, and reviewing. It means a lot so please please please keep it coming ;).**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Makenna's brow wrinkle and she groaned in her sleep as light penetrated her eyes. She grumbled to herself and rolled onto her side, she felt completely awful. Her head was pounding and her stomach churning. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked around. The piercing California sunshine and poured through the windows made her eyes throb. What made it worse was that it made the Barbie pink paint on the walls almost glow. She groaned and pulled her pillow over her face and tried to roll over in the bed. Problem was it was only a twin size and she ended up falling into the floor with a loud thud. She laid there for several minutes looking around the room trying to get an idea of where she might be at. The details of the night before and how she ended up where she was at in a worn Slipknot tee-shirt that was three times her size were a little fuzzy. She pushed herself into a sitting position and pushed her hand through her hair she was looking around trying to figure out exactly where she was at. She knew that she wasn't at Gemma's the brightly colored room would clash with the warm elegant earth and jewel tones that decorated her home. If she was still at the clubhouse they were into a level of kink that she wasn't sure she was prepared to handle. Slowly the details of the night before started to come together in her head. Sure there were some patches that remained hazy. After the conversation she and Opie had he took her out and introduced her to the rest of the club members. After that there was shots…lots and lots of shots. Somewhere between two in the morning Opie had brought her here, to Garrett and Natalie's house and put her to bed in Sophia's room. The little girl was asleep in her parent's bedroom with her grandmother. "It's the morning of my sister's funeral and I'm hung over." She grumbled to herself as she leaned against the side of the bed she wasn't sure if she was ready to attempt anymore movement than that just yet.

Before she had a chance to move there was a soft knock on the door and it pushed opened. In came a woman; she was short, round, and in her 50s. Time hadn't been nearly as kind to her as it had Gemma Teller-Marrow. It was clear by the over puffiness of her face that she'd been doing a lot of crying. "Opie asked me to come and check on you. We heard a loud bang." She said holding out a cup of coffee.

"Thanks." She almost moaned out loud when the thick aroma of the coffee filled her senses. After taking a deep gulp of the rich hot drink she said, "I'm okay I fell out of bed, not used to a twin size."

"Drink that, get you a shower." She said. "There will be breakfast waiting when you come downstairs."

Makenna nodded and took a deep drink of the hot beverage. "My things are-"

"Gemma brought them by about an hour ago." The woman said. "I put them over there by the dresser."

"You're Opie and Garrett's mom." Makenna said finally putting the details together.

The woman nodded, "Mary." She said.

"I don't remember meeting you at Garrett and Natalie's wedding." She said taking a sip of the coffee.

Mary looked away, undoubtedly to hide the hurt in her eyes. "I wasn't invited."

"I'm sorry." She said.

"Not your fault, it's all water under the bridge now." she said even though it was pretty obvious that now especially that her son was dead that she hadn't been there for that important event in his life.

"Thank you, Mary." She said taking another drink of the coffee. Mary nodded her head and patted Makenna on the shoulder in a motherly way before walking out of the bedroom.

After finishing her coffee, Makenna stood up and went over to where her bag was. Some time in her arrival at Gemma's house and her bag's arrival at the house that morning it had grown. It was no longer a beat up back pack but a neatly packed wheelie bag. Makenna frowned as she laid it on the bed and unzipped the top of it. Laying on top of a neatly packed selection of clothing was a note a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and couldn't help but smile a little_. Went through your bag, did you really think that you could get away with a dress two pairs of a jeans and a pair shorts? Found some of my old stuff in my closet for you. ~Gemma. _Laying the note to the side Makenna rummaged through the clothing. Most of it, her own clothes aside, were barely worn and all higher end labels. Not even the clothes she'd left behind in Biloxi were nearly as nice as these. She had no idea how she was going to be able to repay Gemma for this gift.

* * *

><p>Once she was done looking at her new….or rather new to her things she took a nice long steamy shower before going downstairs to the kitchen. Sitting at the table were the children, Alex who was four and Sophia who was almost three. There was also an older man he was a little on the disheveled side and his face was full of lines undoubtedly earned from the roughness of the life he live as was the oxygen tubes he needed to breathe. Everything from the clothes he wore to his denim cut was tattered from use not nearly as pristine as the leather cuts the guys she'd met the night before at the SAMCRO club house wore. "Piney." She walking over to where he was sitting and kissing him on the cheek.<p>

"It's good to see you again too darlin'." He didn't bother to get up but pulled the chair beside of him out for her.

Alex gave Makenna a harsh look as if he was trying to figure her out. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm your Aunt Makenna." She said.

He shook his head, "But I don't have an aunt."

"I promise." She said, "You mommy was my sister and I met you once before, when you were a tiny baby."

"I don't know…." The little boy said still skeptical.

"How are you feeling?" Opie asked walking over to the table carrying two cups of coffee. He set one down in front of her as he set down in the chair on the other side of her. "Mar

"Terrible." She said taking a deep drink of the coffee. "Exactly how much did you let me drink last night?"

"Well…after you had the two beers in my dorm there was really no stopping you." He couldn't help but grin.

"Oh god, did I make an ass out of myself?" she groaned burying her face in her hands, causing Piney to laugh.

"Ummmmm," Alex scolded Makenna, "She said 'ass'."

Both Piney and Opie barked with laughter and Makenna tried to keep the amusement off of her face. "I'm so sorry, I'm not use to being around kids."

"Well you have to put a nickel in the swear jar now." He said pointing to a large pickle jar that was close to half way filled with money.

"I will make sure my nickel gets put in there." Makenna smiled.

Alex leaned in and whispered loudly, "Daddy and Pap and Uncle Ope swear…..A LOT."

Makenna laughed, "I bet they do."

Mary who'd been bustling around the kitchen getting breakfast ready put her hand on Alex's shoulder, "Come on you two need to get your bath." She said picking up Sophia, who was covered in maple syrup from her pancakes.

"Okay Grandma." The little boy bounced out of his chair and headed up stairs with Mary and Sophia behind them.

Makenna turned back to Opie who was piling her plate with scrambled eggs and bacon. "I can't eat all that." She said.

"You need the protein it will help with the hangover." Opie said.

"And you could use a little more meat on your bones." Piney added.

"So exactly…what happened last night?" she asked.

"Well you drank with Chibs, you drank with Jax, you drank with me, you drank with Tig." He said with a shrug.

"You let her drink with Tig?" Piney scolded his son.

"Relax, he was on his best behavior." Opie said with a shrug. "It wasn't a crazy night. The guys were just paying their respects is all."

Piney nodded, "Just so long as they keep their hands off."

* * *

><p>After they were done eating, Makenna helped Mary tend to the dirty dishes. Even though the older woman insisted that she could manage it she didn't budge. Deep down Makenna knew why she was being stubborn about it, she was trying to put off getting ready for the funeral. If she got ready it made it really and as time crept closer it was all starting to catch up with her. Once the dishes were done and put away she went back upstairs to Sophia's room. The black sleeveless dress that she was sure Gemma had meant for her to wear for the funeral was hanging from the curtain bar on Sophia's princess bed. It was then that a small bubble of emotion started to form in her chest. She swallowed it back down and undressed before pulling the dress from its hanger. It came down to her mid-calf and had a flowy hem line and simple silver buttons that went from its square neckline to its hemline. It was much nicer than the dress she's brought from home and fit as if it had been made for her. Once she was dressed she smoothed her almost waist long wav blond hair away from her face and into a thick bun at the base of her neck. She picked her shoes up, she wasn't used to wearing heels and wanted to keep them from pinching her toes for as long as possible and started down the hallway. She stopped short when she saw the opened door beside of her own. Inside Opie, who was wearing a button up shirt and tie under his cut was kneeled in front of Alex tying the little boy's tie. She couldn't explain the warmth that flooded her there was just something sweet about the scene. "Uncle Opie….why do I have to wear a tie?" he asked.<p>

"Because there are sometimes a man's supposed to wear a tie and this is one of them. Besides your mom would like it." He explained.

"But my mommy won't see me." He said as large tears formed in his eyes.

"Just because your mommy isn't alive anymore doesn't mean that she doesn't see you." Opie explained. "Your mommy and daddy had to go to heaven because God didn't have enough angels."

"But that's not fair." The little boy said.

"I know….but that's the thing life isn't always fair but things happen because they're meant to happen. It might not always make sense to us though." Opie explained.

"But I want my mommy and daddy to be alive so I can see them." The little boy started to cry in earnest.

"I know kiddo…me too." Opie said hugging the little boy tightly.

Makenna stood in the hallway biting her bottom lip as tears formed in her eyes but she wouldn't let them spill over, not yet. The bubble of emotion that had formed when she saw the black dress got a little bigger. After taking a few deep breaths she went on down stairs.

After he finished helping Alex with his tie, Opie carried the little boy down stairs where the rest of his family was waiting for him. He stopped short when he saw Makenna in the simple black dress, she looked beautiful, which wasn't something he should be thinking before his brother's funeral. He couldn't help himself though. What surprised him more was that she was different then the woman he usually went for. She wasn't overly sexualized and she wasn't fake, she was a real woman. As they were going out to the car he grabbed her hand and stopped her. "You alright?" he asked. He was sure it was the first time he'd asked how she was and really meant it. Before it was formality, the proper thing to say but now he really wanted to know. Maybe it was because he wasn't okay himself and he wanted to make sure that he wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"Right as rain." Makena said looking up at him her hand still in his.

"It will be over soon." He said.

"I think that's the scariest part though. All of this being over, it really means that they're gone." She said.

"I know what you mean." He nodded in agreement. "If you need me-"

Makenna nodded her head, "Thanks, Ope." She said gently squeezing his hand before sliding into the car.

"You're welcome, Mak." He said closing the door after making sure she was safely tucked inside. He went over to his bike and pulled his cut on before climbing onto his bike and firing it up. He and his brothers were to proceed the Hursts to the graveyard. It wasn't the first time he was in was participating in a funeral procession, he was sure it wouldn't be the last either. This one though it was much harder than the ones he'd been in before.

* * *

><p>It finally sunk in, that Natalie and Garrett were dead when Makenna was sitting at the double grave side with Opie on her life and Piney on her right and little Alex in her lap. Until that moment it was almost as if they were just away somewhere and she was visiting Charming, that they could be back at any moment. Seeing their graves, their tombstones, and their coffins it made everything sink in all the more. It was then that the bubble of emotion that had been building in her chest since that morning broke and a sob escaped her lips and tears fell down her cheeks. She had been hoping that she could starve it off until she was back at the house alone, it seemed her broken heart wouldn't allow her that dignity. She was surprised when she felt Opie wrap his strong arm around her and out of instinct she leaned into him. She couldn't explain the feeling of warmth that laced through her at his action or how at home it made her feel. When Piney pressed his bandana into her hand it gave her a sense of someone taking care of her. It was something that she wasn't used to, even with Brian who thought he was taking care of her she'd really been taking both of them. Natalie was the only one who'd ever looked out for her. This was new and she would have been lying if she said she didn't like it.<p>

After the funeral service was over, Opie was on his way to the car carrying Alex his hand pressed to the small of Makenna's back guiding her. He nodded to Jax who was standing with his mother and his Old Lady Tara who was holding Abel. Slowly Jax walked over to them his hands tucked into his pockets. As he came closer, he noticed the fresh bruises and cuts on the VP's face. He knew that something must have gone down at the clubhouse after he'd left with Makenna. "Gemma put together a party back at the clubhouse." Jax said.

"A party?" she asked confused.

"We don't morn our dead with wakes." Opie explained. "We send them off in style and celebrate their lives."

She nodded, "I like that."

"So what happened-" Opie started to ask.

"Later." Jax promised.

Opie nodded, "I'm holding you to that." Since all of this had gone down, his brother's death he felt almost as if he was back in Stockton. Things were going all around him but he didn't know what they were. It was a feeling of exclusion that he didn't like at all.

* * *

><p>Makenna had to admit that she was surprised at the party that Gemma had arranged at the clubhouse. For that matter, she was impressed that she was able to pull something like this together in such a short period of time. Lining one wall was a long buffet of food all of which had been hand prepared by the club members Old Ladies. The tables that had been spread out sporadically throughout the bar were now pushed together to make two long tables. Where the Sons of Anarchy was concerned they were all one big family and they would eat like one too. There was beer on tap that flowed like wine but because there were children running around nobody got wild or out of hand. That part of the celebration would be saved for later that night once the kids and Old Ladies headed out. Even the Croweaters looked respectable….or at least as respectable as it was possible for them to look. They were all under Gemma's rule and because of that none of them dared to step out of line and face her wrath. The children ran about playing while members from other charters and their old ladies caught up and chatted about old times. On that day, and that day alone business as usual was put on hold and the lives of Garrett and Natalie were celebrated. They might not have been living the life but that didn't mean they weren't known through the Sons of Anarchy.<p>

Makenna was sitting at one of the tables taking everything in. At one point, Sophia had climbed into her lap and laid her head against her shoulder and drifted to sleep in a position that only a toddler could be comfortable sleeping in. Several people had come by and paid their respects to both her and Opie who'd been sitting with her. After a while Opie stood up, "I need to go find Jax." He said, "You good with that?"

Makenna nodded, "Go on, I'm fine."

"You need anything-" he started.

"I'm a big girl Ope." She smiled up at him.

He gently squeezed her shoulder as he looked around the room and caught Jax's attention and nodded towards the door. Opie disappeared into the mix of leather cuts and tattoos with Jax following behind him.

Knowing that finding a place where they wouldn't be over heard, Opie went up on the roof. It was a place that he and his brothers were known to hang out at when they needed to catch a breather away from everything that went on in their lives. It was the perfect place to think with all of Charming stretching out in front of them. "So what happened?" Opie asked pulling a pack of cigarettes from his cut pocket and tapped one out then offered the pack to Jax.

"Lot of screwed up shit you got enough on your plate, brother." He said taking one of the cigarettes and lighting it.

"Seems like I've been hearing that bullshit a whole lot lately." Opie said leaning over the barrier as he took a drag off of his cigarette. "Since I got out I've done a lot of shit for this club. It seems like that's not enough anymore, I feel like some of the guys don't trust me anymore."

"You know it's not that." Jax replied, "Being inside it screws with your head. When you're in there, all you can think about is getting out. When you're out all you can think about is doing everything you can to keep from going back in again."

Opie nodded, "They're worried that I'm gonna get sloppy."

"It's more than that we don't want you to go back in either, Ope." Jax said.

"So what happened to your face?" he asked again.

Jax shook his head and grinned as he flicked ashes from his cigarette. "Stubborn asshole."

"Well?" he raised an eyebrow.

Jax sighed and put his cigarette out and ran his hand over his beard. "You remember the hit on the rat?" he asked.

Opie nodded, "He little more than you could handle?" he smirked.

"That was the problem, 'he' turned out to be a 'she'. And she was barely 17 years old."

Opie set there for several minutes, "Damn."

"Yeah." Jax said looking out across the parking lot and to Charming in the distance.

"So what happened?" he asked. "I mean…I would hope she didn't kick your ass."

"Tig, Happy, and Chibs were already gone when Juice got the information. I went after them they had her tied up, a bag on her head when I got there. I think all of them 'cept maybe Happy was having trouble going through with it. I sent them back to the club, Tig stuck around. I gave her all the money in my wallet scared the piss out of her. She ran out I don't think she'll be coming back anytime soon and she definitely won't be testifying."

Opie ran his hand over his beard as he listened to Jax, "You did the right thing; we don't kill women. This one was little more than a kid."

Jax nodded, "That was my thoughts. Tig disagreed he and I spent the next half hour or so pounding the shit out of each other."

"I wouldn't worry about it, he'll come around he always does." Opie said standing up.

"Not really sweating it." Jax said. "It had the same outcome and we don't have that blood on us."

"We can't handle loosing anyone else." Opie agreed.

Opie was on his way back into the bar when he got a shock, leaning against the bar laughing at something Juice said was Lyla. He hadn't expected her to be there, part of him didn't want her to be there. He knew that she and Natalie had gotten pretty close while he and Garrett were inside. He stopped Jax. "Did you know that she was going to be here?" he asked.

Jax shook his head. "Gemma didn't mention it."

Opie raked his hand through his hair and walked over to where Lyla was at.

* * *

><p>Makenna set at the table holding Sophia taking everything in. To the casual observer this gathering of people would appear to be a family reunion of sorts rather than the MC's version of a wake. Everyone talked to everyone else as if they were all old friends. Chibbs and Tig had been over to make sure that she was doing okay. The experience was a little awkward considering the last time she spoke to either of them she'd been very drunk and still didn't remember any of the details. She was a little surprised when the pretty dark haired woman who'd been with Jax at the funeral walked over to her, "Do you mind if I join you?" she asked.<p>

"No please." Makenna said.

"Good, I still feel out of place here." She admitted.

Makenna nodded, "I know exactly how you feel. The only people I know here are Opie, Jax, Piney, Gemma, oh and Tig and Chibs."

"They're all good people but they can be overwhelming." Tara said. "You're doing good."

"Thanks I think." She said.

"I'm Tara Knowles by the way." The woman said holding her hand out.

Makenna smiled as she shook the woman's hand. "Makenna Harrison, but I think everyone knows that." She said.

"Natalie talked a lot about you." she said.

"That's scary." She tried to play it off as a joke she still wasn't sure if she was able to talk about her sister just yet. "You're Jax's Old Lady?" she asked needing to change the subject.

Tara paused as if to think about it, "I don't know about that but we're together." She said. "He and I… we have a long complicated history."

She nodded, "I can completely understand that."

She went on to tell Makenna about how she and Jax had been high school sweethearts and that she'd broken both of their hearts when she left for college without him. She'd come back about nine months before and had been trying to keep her distance from Jax and the MC but being a doctor that wasn't exactly possible especially when Jax's son was born premature. "Abel is doing okay now though?" she asked.

Tara nodded, "It was touch and go for a while but the kid is a fighter."

"Good." Makenna said.

"So what's going to happen to them?" Tara asked nodding to Alex who was playing with some of the other SoA children.

"We haven't really set down to talk about it. I think everyone's been so busy trying to get through the funeral those details weren't exactly in anyone's mind." Makenna said as she watched them.

"Now is probably a good time to think about it." Tara said.

Before Makenna had a chance to respond she saw Opie walk over to a woman. She was pretty with long honey blond hair that hung to the middle of her back, she was wearing a little too much make up on her innocent looking face. She was dressed in a pair of low slung jeans and a low cut, cropped tank top with no bra. "Who's that girl Opie is talking to?" Makenna asked trying to sound casual.

"Not sure….maybe some sweetbutt." Tara shrugged.

"That's Lyla," Jax said walking up to them. "She came damn close to being Opie's Old Lady."

"So what happened?" Tara asked.

"She didn't want to stop drinking cum for a living." Jax said sitting down with them.

Makenna blinked and tried to process what Jax had said. "Excuse me?" she managed to choke out.

Jax couldn't help but grin a little, "She's a porn star, part of Luanne's company."

"Luanne…Otto's wife?" Tara asked.

Jax nodded, "She's a sweet girl, single mom and all. She and Ope just wanted different things, I'm honestly surprised she showed up."

* * *

><p>Opie ran his hand over his face as he walked up to Lyla. It had been three months since the last time he'd seen her. He knew that seeing her again would be inevitable, she worked for a member's Old Lady. His reaction to seeing her was what confused him. There was something about Lyla and her effect on him, he used to have this insatiable desire when it came to her. Just seeing her, made him want her, something had changed and he didn't know exactly what that was or what had caused the shift in him. "Hey Ope." She said looking up at him with that sweet smile that he'd loved so much.<p>

Opie held his hand out to her, "Come on." He said. Lyla didn't have to be told twice, she took his hand and followed him through the crowd to the dorms. He opened the door to his and held it out so she could walk inside before shutting it behind them. "What are you doing here?" he asked crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down at her.

She frowned, "I thought you might need someone with Garrett and all."

He nodded his head, "I'm doing okay."

"Yeah I saw that...I didn't know you'd moved on. Gemma didn't mention it when she called." She said sitting down on the bed.

"That's Makenna…Natalie's sister." He said.

"The two of you looked cozy." She said leaning back on her hands as she looked up at him.

"It's not like that," he said raking his hand through his hair. "Why are you here Lyla?" he asked again.

"I miss you Ope." She said, "Piper misses you."

Opie shook his head, "That's not gonna happen."

She frowned, "I thought with everything that happened you might have changed your mind."

He shook his head, "I haven't." he said. "I meant what I said, I can't do it Lyla."

"I told you Opie that stuff I do for work it's just that, its work. It's not what I'm about." She said, "I mean Otto was able to make it work with Luanne."

"I'm not Otto." He said looking down at her. "It's about who I am, I don't want to share my Old Lady with half the world."

Lyla blinked back tears as she looked up at him. "You know…it was worth a try."

He sighed, "I still care about you. I just…I've never been good at sharing my toys."

Lyla stood up and smoothed her jeans before walking over to him. "Yeah well…if you ever change your mind." She said resting her hands against his sides.

Opie nodded as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "If you ever need anything-"

"I know." She said before walking out of the dorm.

* * *

><p>That night Makenna was laying in Sophia's small princess bed, sleep was evading her. Maybe it was because of everything going on. Maybe it was because she didn't know what she was going to do after she left Charming. Or maybe it was because of what Tara had said about making a decision about the kids. The good doctor had been right though, they were going to have to make a decision soon. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard someone crying out. Her first thought was that it had been Alex, she'd been worried about the boy most of the day. She frowned as she climbed out of bed and to her surprise, followed it to the guest room where Opie had been staying. The anguish in the cry had been enough to make her feel like she was stabbed the gut. She knocked softly on the door and called his name quietly hoping not to wake anyone else but her response was met by him crying out again. She took a deep breath and slowly twisted the knob and pushed the door opened.<p>

Opie was laying in the bed his limbs twisted in the sheets as he struggled to free himself from his nightmare. She walked over to the bed and gently shook him. "Opie wake up you're dreaming." She said softly and when he didn't wake the first time she shook him a little harder, "Opie you're dreaming."

Opie came awake with a gasp, he gave Makenna a confused look as he took his surroundings in trying get his bearings back. He set up and raked his hand through his hair as he stared at Makenna. Needing to feel something other than the pain from his nightmare about being back in Stockton and the pain from losing his brother he sank his hand in Makenna's long hair and kissed her hungrily.

Makenna was at first startled by is actions but his hungry kiss had awoke something inside of her that she didn't even know existed. Without a second thought she moaned softly his lips as she parted her own and teased his tongue with her own. She had no idea that such wanton need existed inside of her and it only made her hungry for more. He pulled her down into his lap and slid his hands up her *back pressing her into his chest his hand bunching the back of her tee shirt holding her against him. He was sure that he'd never tasted anything as sweet as her. When he regained some of rationality he pulled back and looked down at her. "I shouldn't have done that." He said gently rubbing her swollen bottom lip with his thumb but he hadn't let her go yet.

"Shhhh….I was to feel something besides pain too." She leaned up and kissed him again.

Opie laid back in the bed pulling her with him, not breaking the kiss as he rolled her underneath him and settled between his warm thighs. Slowly he pulled back and looked down at her he broke the kiss long enough to pull his old Slipknot band tee-shirt over up over head. He let his eyes trail slowly over her and groaned when he saw the tiny pair of black lace panties she wore. He leaned down burying his face between them his hands slid up her sides as he took her pebbled nipple into his mouth to tease it was his tongue.

Makenna arched off of the bed and sobbed in pleasure, her long legs wrapping around his waist tightly to press him firmly against her. She'd never felt anything like the desperate way he was making her feel and she didn't want it to stop. There was nothing tender about the way he teased her but at the same time he was careful with her making sure not to hurt her. Things had never been like that for her before, Brian had been her first, her only until now. Even when he'd taken her virginity their act had been mechanical and for that matter painful. He'd never taken his time to tease her body, to push her over the edge the way Opie was. It was something that she never wanted to stop. "Opie….please!" she sobbed.

"This what you want?" he asked sliding his hand between their bodies to cup her wet core.

"Fuck! Yes!" she sobbed her nails biting into his back.

He tried to bite back the smug grin as he leaned back enough to jerk her panties away and slowly teased her clit with the tip of his thick fingertip. He watched her face as he teased her slowly, he liked the way she reacted to his touch. With Lyla, when they were together he never knew how much of her he actually got and how much of the porn star. Some would argue that they were one in the same, he didn't agree. Sometimes he knew she was right there with him, other times she would get this far away look in her eyes. Makenna…he knew was right there with him and it felt good…really good.

"Please…don't tease me Ope." She sobbed looking up at him.

He freed himself from the sweats he used and slid into her with a slow groan. She was so tight that he almost lost it right then. He pulled out and slid back into his hands roaming her body as he took her hard but slow. He wanted to take his time with her to make her feel everything that he was feeling in that moment. Makenna's nails bit into his back as she rolled her hips into his meeting him stroke for stroke. Pleasure began to slowly build deep in the pit of her belly. Every time he was inside of her shocks of pleasure shot through her body leaving her trembling. When she went over the edge sobbing his name, he went with her spilling his seed deep inside of her.

They laid there for a few minutes a tangled in the sheets wrapped up in each other's bodies before Opie slowly pulled out of her and rolled to his back pulling her with him. He didn't say anything, neither of them did they didn't need to. They drift into a deep sleep holding on to each other.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Opie ran his hand gently down Makenna's back as he looked down at her nuzzled into his arms sleeping soundly. They'd spent most of the night in the throes of passion after their last round he hadn't been able to go back to sleep. He knew that he shouldn't have used her the way he had but after the funeral and then dreaming about being back in Stockton, he just wanted to feel something other than pain, like she'd said. It wasn't like he'd never thought of Makenna in that way before a man had to be blind not to. Still, it wasn't fair to her. She had a life back in Biloxi, an old man waiting on her. He thought about the bruise on her face and the cut on her lip. He knew the bastard had to have done it to her and that pissed him off more than he was willing to admit. He write it off, she wasn't his responsibility but now that Nat was gone she didn't have anyone left. He thought about what would happen when she went back to Biloxi, if her old man ever found about what had happened between them…he didn't want to think of what he would do to her. He would hurt her worse than he already had or more than that he could kill her. That thought and that one alone was a very sobering thought. Knowing that he had to get his head on straight before he said anything to her, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and untangled himself from her body. He was careful, making sure not to wake her.

After dressing in his standard issue baggy jeans, black tee-shirt, and cut he headed out for the house, grateful for the fact that everyone was still in bed. His orginal plan was to take a long ride to clear his head, where he ended up was at Jax Teller's house. Knowing his brother would be up, new baby and al, he cut the engine to his bike and walked up to the door. He gave it a quick wrap and waited, a few minutes later the door opened and Tara was standing there, Abel resting against her shoulder. "Hey…I didn't bother you did I?" he asked.

She shook her head, "No, come in. Jax is in the shower, I'll let him know you're here." She said inviting him inside.

He nodded his head and followed her into the house, "Thanks Tara."

"It's no problem, Ope." She smiled at him. "I'm going to lay Abel down and let Jax know you're here. There's fresh coffee in the kitchen, help yourself." Opie nodded his head before going into the kitchen s she disappeared up the stairs.

A few minutes later, Jax appeared in the kitchen his hair still wet from his shower and a pulling his wife tee shirt over his head. He could tell just by looking at his best friend that he had something on his mind. "What's going on?" he asked pouring himself a cup of the coffee and joining Opie at the kitchen table.

Opie shrugged, "Just dealing with some shit."

"We all are, Garrett and Nat-" he started but Opie intertuped.

"It's not that."

"Lyla drama?"

"Nah, Lyla wasn't an issue."

"She trying to hook back up?" Jax asked.

Opie nodded, "Half-heartedly. She and Nat ended up being pretty good friends. I think it scared her pretty bad, what happened. Lyla's always had security issues, I think it comes with the territory. Besides, my stance on her career hasn't changed. I can't do it, I'm not that guy. She's made it clear that she won't quit. Things between us are better off in the past."

Jax nodded, "I don't know how you did it as long as you did."

"Didn't really phase me too much until I was in Stockton. I had to hear every day about those sick fucks jerking it to _my_ girl." Even though it had been nearly five months since he'd been out of prison and three since he and Layla ended things for good and that was one thing that still made his blood boil. "It got me to the point where I started refusing to see her. I didn't want to put her through the humiliation when she would visit."

"I think she got why you did it." He said.

"It hurt her." Opie said, "I hurt her."

"You can't beat yourself up like this, man."

Opie took a drink of his coffee, "Do you….ever wonder if we were better off without emotional attachment?"

"What do you mean?" Jax asked.

"It's something Garrett said to me when we were first inside. He wasn't even a member but I think he might have understood something I didn't. HE said that our lives were screwed up. Because of that we shouldn't have any attachments. It's not about them making us weak it's because they're attached to us and they get hurt."

Jax ran his hand over his beard taking in what Opie was saying. He thought back to when he was a kid, when Thomas had died and then the accident that had claimed the life of his father. He thought about Tara leaving all of those years ago and the pain that it had put him through. He thought of his exwife and how she'd always just dabbled with drugs. Then after they got married it started to get worse. Because of that, his son was born early with birth defects some of which could have been avoided. When you looked at things with that perspective in mind, of course things were going to look worse than what they were. There was another side to everything. Thomas might have died young but he lived too. He had a family who loved him and everday that he'd been on this Earth he touched the lives of everyone he met. His father also died young but he left behind a legacy for Jax to pass on to his family. His death made way for Clay to come into Gemma's life and take care of her in ways that John had never been able to. Tara left and her leaving had changed him as a person. She left but she also came back home. That time apart made him appreciate her all the more. Without her leaving he never would have had Wendy. While some might have said that was a low point in his life, there had also been good as well. She had pulled him out of a dark abyss of loneliness. She had been his best friend for a time and sometimes he wondered what could have happened if she wouldn't have let the drugs take hold. Still without her having been in his life he would have Abel. "I think bad shit happens to everyone, if you only look for the bad that's all you'll ever see. I think our attachements keep us human. They keep us from being the monsters that this life could easily make us."

Opie looked down at his cup of coffee taking in what Jax had said. "I can see that."

"You sure you're okay brother?" Jac asked.

He shook his head thinking about the night before. "I think I screwed up with Makenna."

"What do you mean?"

Opie took a deep breath, this was something he'd never told anyone. He hadn't even said anything to Makenna the night before when she came into his room. Talking about being in Stockton…he just didn't do it. It was something that happened to him and more than anything he wanted into to be in his past. "Since being out of Stockton. I have these dreams that I'm back inside. Really…really violent shit. Normally I wake up and I realize that I'm in an actual bed in an actual room in an actual house. It's the thing that gets me calmed back down focused back on reality. They come and go but since Nat and Garrett….they've been worse. I was yelling I couldn't pull myself out of the dream, I'm just glad the kids didn't hear me. Last night was the worse by a long shot. She woke me up and…" Opie trailed off trying to find the right way to explain what had happened.

"And she was of _great_ comfort?" Jax asked.

"She was of _amazing_ comfort." Opie corrected running his hand over his face.

"So what's the problem?"

"I used her like a fucking croweater." Opie said.

Jax raised an eyebrow, "Really?" he asked not believing him.

"I never should have touched her like that. She's Natalie's fucking sister."

"She's a big girl Ope she could have said no."

Opie ignored him. "She has an old man back home that smacks her around." He said trying to keep his temper in check at the thought of it. "If he catches wind of this he'll kill her."

Jax shook his head, "Gemma doesn't think she's going back."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that." He said. "I guess Nat had been confinding in her for years about Mak's old man. Gemma has been wanting to bring it to the club but Nat never would let her because she could never get Mak to confirm it. She thinks she's on the run, she only had with her a hastily packed back pack, a pre-pay, and a roll of money close to a grand cash only. She had no credit cards nothing that could be traced."

"Damn." Opie said.

"I think the smartest thing to do would be to get her to settle here. She can get to know her family-"

"And we can watch out for her if she gets into trouble." Opie finished. "Nat and Garrett getting killed we owe her that much."

"Exactly." Jax said.

"We keep our suspicions to ourselves for now." Opie said. "I don't want this getting out just yet. Not until we know for sure."

Jax nodded, "Gives you a chance to feel her out." He grinned.

Opie ignored Jax's comment as he pulled his pre-pay from his cut pocket. "Right now I have to pick her up and go see Bellows and Barnes with her."

"Nothing serious right?"

Opie shook his head, "Nat and Garrett's will. I didn't even know they had one."

He nodded, "I'll let Clay know you'll be tied up the rest of the day."

Opie nodded, "Appreciated."

* * *

><p>Even though she expected it, Makenna couldn't help but feel a little sting to her pride when she woke up to find Opie's side of the bed cold. She knew not to expect anything, it had been what it was an incredible night. The best she'd ever had if she was being honest with herself. Slowly she climbed out of bed her body sore from their night of passion, quietly she slipped from Opie's room and down the hall to the bathroom. Once she had her near to scalding shower she dressed in a pair of snug fitting skinny jeans that she tucked into her riding boots and a black tee-shirt. It was large in the neck and fell off of one shoulder. Her hair she left alone allowing it to lay in its messy beach waves. After snapping on her favorite leather cuff bracelet she headed downstairs. She said good morning to the kids who were in the living room watching cartoons and went into the kitchen to help Mary. "On your third day here and you're already starting to look like an old lady." She said from the kitchen sink where she was doing breakfast dishes.<p>

Makenna's brow wrinkled as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"It's easy to get swept up in the romantic side of it all. Outlaw biker club, men who have all these radical ideas about changing the world. Not having anyone to tell you what to do." Mary said and then when she saw Makenna's questioning look she shrugged. "I was young, skinny, and pretty once too."

She turned to face Mary her arms crossed under her full breasts her coffee forgotten. "I have no idea what you think is going on-"

Mary patted the younger woman on the arm. "You and Opie weren't nearly as quiet as you thought you were." When she saw Makenna's shocked face she added. "You're not the first, Opie's been sneaking girls into his room since he was 16."

"It's not any of your business." She said not sure exactly what to say or handle this situation.

"You're right it's not, I only brought it up because I want to give you some advice. I'm sure Gemma has her hooks in you already. Makenna you don't _want_ this life."

"I don't know what you think is going on between me and Opie. Yes, we spent the night together. That's our business being consenting adults and all. I'm not sure what kind of more that it makes you. You hear us having sex and not the anguish night terrors that your son was having before that. Secondly I'm not here to be anyone's old lady. I'm here to bury my sister and to spend time with the family I have left. Besides I don't want advice from a woman who quit her family."

There was a murderous look in Mary's eyes as she glared at the younger woman. "You don't know shit I tried to get Opie and Garrett away from this freak show before they got sucked in. When I left I took them with me. Opie was too old and too sold on this life he came right back and lived with Piney. Garrett was my good son, he stayed with me. He should have gotten shot, Opie should be dead not Garrett!"

Unable to control the rage that boiled over inside of her, Makenna slapped Mary as hard as she could. The older woman gasped and touched her fingertips to her cheek in pure shock. "You hit me!"

Makenna ignored her, "You think that living by the book, being socially upstanding is so fucking fantastic? Let me tell you about that life because I've been spent the last eight years doing it. The bastard that I lived with, that I slept beside every night kept me locked in his house because he was terrified that I would leave. I was only allowed to leave once a week. Even then I had to make sure to check in with him at certain times. He doesn't know that my sister died because when I told him that I needed to come here his reaction was to use his fists to make me change my mind. This man was an upstanding member of society. He co-owned his own construction company, his father was a county sheriff, he was a deacon at his church, and a member of city council. So be grateful for the son that you have _alive_ and mourn the one you lost."

Mary didn't say anything as she retreated out of the kitchen. Makenna sighed as she leaned against the counter pushed her hand through her hair. She'd never intended to explode like that. Mary Winston might have been mean things but she hadn't deserved that, not all of it anyway.

Opie had walked into the kitchen just after his mother had retreated. He'd been standing at the door trying not to listen but hearing more than he'd intended to. He only caught the tail end of what Makenna was saying and it pissed him off to no end that she'd been put through that. He wanted to press her for more information but refrained. There was a part of him that wanted her to trust him enough to tell him freely. For now he'd keep what he'd heard to himself. After all there wasn't enough information to give to Jax. Not sure what to say he cleared his throat letting her know that he was there.

Makenna quickly looked up and felt her face flame. "Exactly how much did you hear?"

Opie shrugged and walked over to her, "Enough."

"How much is that?" she asked.

"Enough to know that you have been through hell and that it's taking all of my will power not to go to Biloxi and shoot that bastard in throat so that he can die painfully." He said as pulled her against him.

Makenna rested her forehead against his shoulder, her hands sliding up his sides under the folds of his cut. "Exactly what are we doing here Ope?" she asked looking up at him.

He cupped her chin forcing her to look up at him. "I really don't know." He kissed her softly. "We can figure it out later. We have to go to meet with that lawyer."

"Right." She said, with the drama with Mary she'd actually forgotten about it.

Opie took her hand into his and lead her out to his Harley. "Have you ridden before?" he asked.

Makenna shook her head. "Never had the opportunity."

Opie handed her his helmet. "Stick around here and you'll have plenty."

She didn't say anything as she slipped the helmet on and climbed onto the bike behind him. Her body pressed against his as she wrapped her arms around him tightly. As soon as he took off onto the street, Makenna laugh at the pure thrill of the ride, Opie couldn't help but grin.

The law office of Bellows and Barnes was an old, small store front on Main Street. The paint on the windows bearing their names was faded from time and starting to peal. It was completely unlike the lawyers that the club used. It was basic, nothing fancy, no frills. His first thought was to wonder what the hell his brother was thinking using them. Then he realized, his brother wasn't SoA. He could walk into random law offices and do business. He didn't need to know how dirty they liked to get. He took Makenna by the hand and led her into the building. After a quick introduction, Ms. Barnes lead them to a neatly, but plainly decorated office in the back of the space. "First of all please let me express how sorry I am for your loss." She said sitting down behind the mahogany desk and started rifling through files before settling on one.

"You mentioned a will?" Opie asked, he wanted to cut the bullshit and find out what, the what was. He'd never been a fan of false sympathy.

She nodded her head as she opened the file, "About six months after Garrett's incarceration, Natalie came in at his request. She never said what prompted them to want to do this. I told her like I tell everyone you never know when your time is going to be and you want to have your affairs in order."

"Natalie and Garrett didn't really have much other than the house." Makenna said.

"They weren't really concerned about material items. It was their children that they wanted to make sure as taken care of. In common situations custody would go to a biological grandparent. Seeing as how the maternal grandparents weren't in the picture and the failing health of Piney Winston they didn't feel like that was an option they were comfortable with." Ms. Barnes went onto explain.

"What about Mary?" she asked causing Opie to snort.

"She wasn't someone they felt comfortable leaving the wellbeing of their children in." Ms. Barnes explained.

"She couldn't be a parent 20 years ago she sure as shit can't be one now." Opie said.

Ms. Barnes flipped through the documents and then started to read. "This is the last will and testament of Garrett and Natalie Winston. In the case of their two children Alexander Chase Winston and Sophia Grace Winston legal custody is granted to Mr. Harry "Opie" Winston and Ms. Makenna Faith Harrison. The deeds to all properties and access to all personal fiances will go to them in hopes that they will be used to better the lives of Alexander and Sophia."

Makenna was in shock, to be honest that was the last thing that she expected. She didn't know why she hadn't expected it, she and Tara had just been talking about this very topic the day before. "Joint custody?" she asked.

The lawyer nodded, "It was their hopes that their children be raised by the people who meant the most to them."

"Just…scenario. What if one of the parties wasn't able to take custody?" she asked.

"Well they would have the right to sign their share over to the other party. In case neither is willing to take the responsibility they'd be handed over to the state." Ms. Barnes explained as she laid the papers out in front of them. "Take your time read over them make sure that you're comfortable with them. If you would like to have your own lawyer look over them that's well and good too. I'm going to leave you for a few moments to talk about it."

As soon as the lawyer walked out of the door, Opie picked the pen up and started to sign without hesitation. The action surprised Makenna though she didn't know why. "What are you doing?"

"Fulfilling a promise. I told Garrett the day that Sophia was born that if anything happened I'd take care of his kids." He said as he finished signing the papers. "There's no pressure on you."

"I just….I don't know that it's the best idea for me to sign is all." She said.

"You'll have protection, Mak, I swear it." He looked over at her. Taking a deep breath she picked the pen up and signed her own name below his. Once she was done she laid the pen down. "This changes everything you know?" he asked.

Makenna nodded, "I know."

"This…thing with us….it can't happen again. We have two kids depending on us." he said.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Just wanted to thank everyone who's read and reviewed this story and who's added it to their alerts and favorites lists it means a lot. Sorry it took me a few days to get this up I've had a pretty full weekend but I'll try to do better this week. I want to say please please review...I love knowing what people are thinking of what I'm writing. <strong>


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